Fire ravages Sarge's Delicatessen Restaurant

The fire started in Sarge's Delicatessen Restaurant on Third Ave. between E. 36th and E. 37th Sts. around 6:50 p.m. on Sunday. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News)

A raging three-alarm fire ravaged a popular Jewish deli in Manhattan Sunday and caused minor injuries to several firefighters, officials and witnesses said.

The blaze started in Sarge's Delicatessen Restaurant on Third Ave. between E. 36th and E. 37th Sts. around 6:50 p.m. and spread with vicious speed throughout the four-story building, sources and witnesses said.

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News

"My room started filling up with smoke," said Amir Jalali, a 28-year-old consultant who lives in an apartment on the top floor. "We looked out the fire escape window and I saw a column of flames in the back of the building."

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News

More than 150 firefighters battled the blaze for 90 minutes as flames seeped behind the walls of Sarge's and traveled through ventilation ducts, said Division 3 Deputy Chief Thomas McKavanagh.

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News

"The restaurant sustained some severe damage and will not be open for a while," said McKavanagh.